Subhash Arora, founding President of the Indian Wine Academy, Delhi Wine Club and Editor of delWine has been nominated once again for the ‘Best International Journalist’ award instituted by Comitato Grandi Cru d’Italia, a prestigious association of Italian wine producers.

A message from the office of the Association says, ‘I have the pleasure to communicate you received the Nomination for the journalistic prize founded by the Comitato Grandi Cru d’Italia, for the category-The Best International Journalist. The winner's proclamation, among those who got the nomination, will take place during the gala dinner that the Committee has organized on the occasion of the 45° Vinitaly in Verona, on Friday the 8th of April, at Palazzo della Ragione in Cortile Mercato Vecchio.’

Wine journalists from across the globe are nominated for the annual award by the members of the committee which consists of producers of good standing. ‘I congratulate you on your nomination, resulting from the voting of the Committee’s members,’ adds the communiqué.

This is the second time Arora has been nominated for the prestigious award, ostensibly for his reports in delWine which is sent to around 20,000 wine stake holders in 35 countries. DelWine is an India-centric news magazine which focuses on topical and unbiased information about what is happening in the wine world. Because of the extensive travels to Italy and his slight personal bias towards Italy as a wine producing nation with a lot of history, culture and gastronomical experience behind it , there is a slight skew towards Italy in the news reports, admits Arora.

During a recent visit to Montalcino, he was complemented by several producers who had read several of his articles and analyses of the Brunello 2003 issue that had rocked the region a couple of years ago, and described his analysis as very accurate and unbiased. Director General of OIV – the Organisation of Vines and Wines, Federico Castellucci complimented him once and asked him how he could publish the Italian wine information in India when he found the same published in Italian mainstream newspapers a couple of days later!

Arora was knighted as ‘Cavaliere’ for promoting Italian Culture in India through wine and helping Italian producers in exporting wine to India, in 2009. An international wine judge, he has been judging in Italy also at competitions like Vinitaly and Selezione del Sindaco for which he has been invited again in Campania this year.

‘It’s thrilling and exhilarating to be recognised by such an august body and be in the company of the brilliant journalists who are so knowledgeable about Italian wines,’ says Arora who is very pleased with the honour.